~Photographer

Cross Roads of Z & Zz

Teri had taken off work for the entire first week of September. The kid began school as well. This meant we had what was essentially a weeklong date. With her crazy work schedule, and the kid's summer activities keeping me busy, we'd begun to have a routine that left little romantic time. I'm not just talking about sex, but about the time needed to really connect to each other as man and wife.

The two of us really needed to just be with each other for a while, and the kid's return to school allowed us to do so. The week flew by as we enjoyed as much of our alone time as possible. It was also a real treat to be able to simply GO do something, anything, without having to herd the child into the jeep, or explain where we were going. Walks around town, trips to specialty grocers & art galleries, and lunches where we could just eat in peace. Don't get me wrong, we absolutely love our daughter, but it was so nice to be just the two of us for a while.

One day we saw that the weather was going to be perfect so we just jumped in the jeep, with the top down, and drove away. We wound our way through the valleys and ridges of the Driftless Area which borders our home, eventually making our way to the Wisconsin River. We only took back roads, and saw few people, and hardly any other cars. It was as if we had this beautiful countryside just to ourselves. The Pleasant Ridge Store made for a perfect stop for lunch, and we had it all to ourselves as well. After hours of just rolling quietly along we made it home, with time to spare, in order to meet the school bus that brings Freja home. It was all so nice, and as we begin a new week tomorrow, returning to our normal schedules, it feels like it'll be different this time.